NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly criticized the New York Yankees following his team's five-game victory in the 2024 World Series.

"It was just a mismatch from the get-go," Kelly said on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast. "If we had a playoff re-ranking, they might be ranked the eighth or ninth-best playoff team, you know what I mean? You're putting the Padres ahead of them, you're putting the Phillies ahead of them, you're putting the Mets ahead of them, you're putting the Braves ahead of them."

"It was just a complete mismatch," he added.

BIB on the Go: Joe Kelly Isn't Letting Up On The Yankees
Listen here ➡️ https://t.co/CabMY3ksGx pic.twitter.com/iaXMRIXfv3

— Baseball Isn’t Boring (@BBisntBoring) November 4, 2024

Kelly didn't make an appearance during Los Angeles' postseason run because of a shoulder issue.

The 36-year-old previously mocked the Dodgers' World Series opponent for the performance from rapper Fat Joe prior to Game 3 of the Fall Classic at Yankee Stadium.

"They started kicking the ball around and playing Yankee defense," Kelly said, via Erich Richter of the New York Post. "Oh, he was on the Jumbotron, I'm pretty sure, right before the fifth. I looked over at [Brent] Honeywell and said 'The Fat Joe Curse, watch.' and we started chipping away, chipping away, chipping away. And bad play, bad play, bad play. And I end up getting my second one with the Dodgers."

While the veteran relief pitcher wasn't impressed with New York, it's hard to argue that the team wasn't one of the best in the majors during the 2024 season. The Yankees finished with an American League-leading 94-68 record while their plus-147 run differential was the second-best among all teams behind Los Angeles.

Still, the Dodgers' relatively easy series victory likely didn't make New York as imposing as other opponents. Los Angeles survived a five-game battle with the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series before taking down the Mets in six games during the NL Championship Series.

In 35 appearances last season, Kelly finished with a 4.78 ERA while recording 35 strikeouts in 32 innings of work. He's currently set to enter unrestricted free agency after earning $8 million for his 2024 campaign.

Although the Yankees won their first AL pennant since 2009, Kelly wasn't convinced that they were one of the top teams in the majors following the 2024 World Series result.

A Shohei Ohtani rookie card fetched $533,140 at auction Sunday morning, the highest price ever for one of the Los Angeles Dodgers star's cards.

The rookie was an autographed Bowman Chrome orange refractor parallel, with only 25 made. The card itself also received a perfect 10 grade and attained "Black Label" status. Goldin noted it's the only one of its kind in existence so far.

🚨 BREAKING: NEW RECORD FOR ANY SHOHEI OHTANI CARD! 🚨

Final Sale Price on this 2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Orange Refractors Shohei Ohtani Signed Rookie Card (#08/25): $533,140

Email us at Sell@Goldin.com to Consign your Shohei Collectibles! ⚾️🙌 pic.twitter.com/V51CGRQ4su

— Goldin (@GoldinCo) November 3, 2024

Ohtani rookie cards were a hot commodity when he first arrived in MLB in 2018 thanks to the massive hype surrounding him as a two-way player. Now that he has proven to be a truly generational talent, any trading cards and memorabilia associated with the two-time MVP come at a massive premium.

As good as he has been in the past, the 30-year-old was on another level in 2024. He had a .310/.390/.646 slash line and became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

Winning a World Series title with the Dodgers was the cherry on top of an incredible campaign from Ohtani.

The San Diego Padres withdrew a verbal agreement with a prospect from the Dominican Republic after discovering he had claimed to be five years older than his true age, Jorge Castillo and Alden Gonzalez reported for ESPN.

The prospect, who assumed the name Cesar Altagracia, was believed to be 14 years old. He agreed to sign with the Padres for $4 million once he was eligible for international free agency in 2027, according to Castillo and Gonzalez.

The MLB then learned that Altagracia is a 19-year-old, who has previously represented the Dominican Republic in youth tournaments under a "false identity," Castillo and Gonzalez reported.

According to Castillo and Gonzalez, the MLB has seen an "uptick in high-profile players showcasing themselves with falsified birth certificates to present themselves as much as five years younger" over the past year.

That reported increase could include a New York Mets' outfielder prospect from the Dominican Republic, who was reportedly suspended in April for falsifying his identity and age, according to Mike Mayer of Metsmerized.

The prospect, who went by Anthony Baptist, was signed for $1.1 million at a reported age of 17 in 2023.

It is typical for players to be suspended for one year if they are found to be lying about their age, Castillo and Gonzalez reported.

The Athletic's Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal reported in January that MLB executives and agents believe that "age and identity fraud among amateur baseball players in the Dominican Republic... is on the rise again" ahead of the 2024 season.

An MLB official told Drellich and Rosenthal that the league had "not seen any material statistical change in those numbers over the last several years," but The Athletic reporters noted that these numbers would not encapsulate verbal agreements made with prospects allegedly too young to sign with a team.

According to Drellich and Rosenthal, the Mets as well as the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics were among teams who had "recently" discovered an international prospect they were in talks with had falsified their age.

Per Drellich and Rosenthal, "several" of these players were in line for bonuses of over $1 million, an amount they might not have been able to net as older prospects.

As Drellich and Rosenthal wrote in January:

The league does background checks on international amateurs across all countries through its Age and Identity Investigation department, which was put in place over a decade ago. But the league does not vet players who are more than a year away from being eligible to be signed. Some teams therefore hire their own private investigators to check paperwork and backgrounds of younger players.

MLB has previously considered implementing an international draft, but was unable to reach an agreement with the MLBPA ahead of the signing of the new CBA in 2022.

Coming off the best season of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Joc Pederson is going to test free agency for the second straight year.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Pederson declined his mutual option for 2025.

Pederson originally signed a one-year deal with Arizona that included a mutual option worth $14 million for 2025. He is owed $3 million in a buyout as part of his option.

After reaching the World Series in 2023, the Diamondbacks were looking for more production out of the designated hitter spot in the lineup. They received the third-worst production from their DHs by FanGraphs' wins above replacement (minus-1.3) with a .218/.286/.390 slash line.

The addition of Pederson dramatically improved Arizona's offense. He hit .275/.393/.515 with 23 homers in 449 plate appearances. His 3.0 fWAR is the third-highest single-season total of his career after 2015 when he was an All-Star and 2016.

Even though Pederson has played first base and all three outfield spots in his career, he is best utilized as a bat-only player.

The 32-year-old Pederson is also at his best in a platoon because he can crush right-handed pitching with a .844 career OPS against them, a stark difference compared to his .630 mark against lefties. Those splits were better in 2024 (.923 to .749), but will probably be more of an outlier given his career-long totals.

Given how weak this free-agent class is in terms of power hitters after Juan Soto, who is in his own tier, Pederson should be able to secure a multiyear deal from a team this offseason.

Robbie Ray is reportedly returning to the San Francisco Giants.

The veteran starting pitcher opted into the final two years of his five-year, $115 million contract with the Giants on Saturday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 33-year-old will receive $50 million over the next two seasons and will be a free agent in 2027.

Ray inked the five-year contract when he was with the Seattle Mariners in 2022. The Giants acquired him before the 2024 season in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani.

Ray, a former Cy Young Award winner, has pitched just eight times since the start of the 2023 season. He had Tommy John surgery in May of 2023, keeping him off the mound for the rest of the season and into 2024.

He made his Giants debut in July, but went on to have just seven appearances last season after landing on the 15-day injured list in late August with a left hamstring strain.

In his seven starts last season, Ray had 43 strikeouts, a 4.70 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP across 30.2 innings pitched. In his last healthy season in 2022, Ray had 212 strikeouts, a 3.71 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, pitching 189 innings in 32 appearances.

Now returning to San Francisco, Ray will look to put together a complete season after missing extended time over the past two years.

Free agent Teoscar Hernández says it is his "priority" to re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers after playing a key role in the team's 2024 World Series win.

"My hopes are really high," Hernández said on Friday about re-signing, per MLB.com's Juan Toribio. "Like I've said before, the Dodgers are the priority, obviously. I'm going to do everything in my power to come back."

When asked about when he wanted to sign with the Dodgers, Hernández joked, "Hopefully tomorrow."

"I want us to be here. I want us to be part of this. I have so many good memories here," Hernández said. "I've learned a lot as a player, as a person. It feels great to be part of this."

Teoscar Hernandez was emotional addressing the fans after winning his first World Series championship pic.twitter.com/sPckIFzDak

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 1, 2024

Hernández's two-run double tied the World Series-clinching Game 5 at 5-5 in the top of the fifth inning on Wednesday, completing the Dodgers' comeback from a five-run deficit to the New York Yankees.

TEOSCAR HERNÁNDEZ TIES THE GAME. #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/Nyt1i35jLM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 31, 2024

The Dodgers then added two runs in the top of the eighth to claim the title with a 7-6 victory.

That wasn't the first time Hernández caused a momentum shift in a World Series game. He also hit a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in the Dodgers' 4-2 win over the Yankees in Game 2.

Teoscar Hernández gets the lead right back for the Dodgers with a 2-run homer! pic.twitter.com/aQldJQbPlp

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 27, 2024

Hernández then threw out Giancarlo Stanton at the plate to close out the fourth inning of Game 3.

DON'T RUN ON TEO #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/BrZ51pxFIw

— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2024

Hernández joined the Dodgers a one-year, $23.5 million deal ahead of the 2024 season. He was coming off a relatively-down .258 batting average for the Seattle Mariners the season prior, possibly in part because of T-Mobile Park's statistical reputation as a pitcher-friendly venue.

Like Shohei Ohtani's record contract, the agreement included $8.5 million in deferred money to be paid out through 2039.

Hernández turned down other offers in order to take the deal, including a two-year, $28 million offer from the Boston Red Sox.

That deal paid off as Hernández batted .272 with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs in the regular season to earn his second career All-Star nod and win the 2024 Home Run Derby before becoming a hero in the Dodgers' run to the title.

Hernández told reporters in early October that he and the Dodgers had not had any in-season talks about an extension. It seems more likely this time around that those discussions will result in a multi-season deal, although the Dodgers will have to consider other pending free agents including Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler and Kiké Hernández before extending an offer.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will enter free agency after one season with the San Francisco Giants.

Snell declined his $38.5 million player option and will become a free agent ahead of the 2025 season, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Blake Snell has opted out of the second year of his deal with the Giants

He is now a free agent pic.twitter.com/JDVpgTezhK

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) November 1, 2024

The pitcher earned $15 million in 2025, and was set to receive a $17 million signing bonus on Jan. 15. Snell was also scheduled to have $15 million of his 2025 salary deferred until July 1, 2027.

Snell taking his 2025 option looked like an all but forgone conclusion as the reigning Cy Young winner struggled early in his age-31 season, pitching a 10.42 ERA through 19.0 innings in his first five starts of the campaign.

After a stint on the IL, Snell's season began to improve when he returned to the rotation in July.

Through his final eight starts of the campaign he posted a 1.31 ERA, allowing 65 strikeouts to 19 walks and pitching an Aug. 2 no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds.

The nine inning effort sealed the first no-no of Snell's career, helping lower his full-season ERA to 3.12 and raising the expectation he would opt out of his San Francisco deal in order to seek a longer-term contract.

The Giants could now seek to re-sign Snell by offering him a longer-term deal.

Snell has not gotten the opportunity to pitch in a postseason game since his 2022 season with the San Diego Padres, and after a disappointing 2024 campaign it is not clear if that will change in San Francisco. Despite bringing in manager Bob Melvin, spending money on a historically high payroll and making the offseason acquisitions of Snell and Robbie Ray, the Giants missed the postseason for the third straight time since the team's 2021 NLDS exit.

But Snell told reporters after the end of his 2024 season that he sees "a lot of promise" in the Giants organization.

"I just want to be somewhere that wants me, that loves me and will invest in me to be the best player that I can be to help them win," Snell said in September, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. "I like it here. I hope it's here."

Winning a bidding war for Snell could be costly for the Giants after the Cy Young-quality pitching he demonstrated in the latter part of the 2024 campaign. The team will be potentially limited in free agency by the luxury tax implications of last season.

On the other hand, Snell missed time due to multiple injuries last season, and the fact that he is heading into his age-32 campaign could lower how much teams are willing to pay for the ace.

Whatever his next contract, Snell is sure to be one of the most highly-valued free agents of the 2025 offseason. He proved this fall he is still capable of being a game-changing ace for a team in need of a starter.

Freddie Freeman battled through a lingering ankle injury to help the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series against the New York Yankees, but that wasn't the only injury he was dealing with as he won World Series MVP.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Freeman found out two days before the postseason began that he had broken the costal cartilage in his sixth rib. According to Passan, the injury was so bad that Freeman was "unable to even pick himself off the floor" after taking some swings in the batting cage.

Passan also noted that the injury Freeman had usually "sidelines players for months."

Despite the two injuries, Freeman missed just three games in the postseason and played all five games of the World Series, putting on one of the best performances in Dodgers history.

He homered in the first four games of the World Series, his first one being arguably the most consequential hit of the postseason for Los Angeles. As the Dodgers trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 1, Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam to put Los Angeles up 1-0 in the series.

IT'S GONE
IT'S GONE
IT'S GONE
IT'S GONE
FREDDIE FREEMAN #WALKOFF GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/LlVU1ZGyGx

— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2024

His home run in Game 4 set a record for consecutive World Series games with a home run with six dating back to the 2021 World Series when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

Freeman ended the series with four home runs, a World Series-record-tying 12 RBI and a .300 batting average, making himself the clear choice for MVP.

There were questions about whether Freeman would be able to perform while not at 100 percent, but he made those questions an afterthought with his outstanding performance. Now the 2020 National League MVP and 2021 World Series champion has another title and his first World Series MVP.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts didn't take kindly to the interference by two New York Yankees fans as he tried to catch a foul ball in Game 4 of the World Series.

After the Dodgers were victorious in Game 5 to win the Fall Classic, Betts said on Fox that he hadn't experienced anything like that before and that it "was like the second time in my life I've ever wanted to fight somebody."

"That was like the second time in my life I've ever wanted to fight somebody."

Mookie on the two fans who grabbed him and took the ball out of his glove during Game 4 pic.twitter.com/cOi5DyST2a

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 31, 2024

Baseball players know it can be risky to reach into the stands, especially inside a road venue. But two Yankees fans crossed a clear line in the first inning of Game 4. One tried to pry the ball out of Betts' glove after he caught it, while another grabbed his right wrist.

"Well, A for effort."

Fan interference was called on this play where a Yankee fan tried to take the ball out of Mookie Betts' glove after an out. pic.twitter.com/iZ6taImncd

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024

ESPN's Jesse Rogers identified the fans as Austin Capobianco and John Peter, who were both ejected from the game. Capobianco is the one who went for Betts' glove and he told Rogers the scenario was something he had envisioned before.

"We always joke about the ball in our area," he said. "We're not going to go out of our way to attack. If it's in our area, we're going to 'D' up.

"Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We're willing to do this."

Capobianco and Peter were banned from attending Game 5. They're both Yankees season-ticket holders and it's unclear whether their ban will extend into the 2025 MLB season.

It's probably a good thing they weren't inside Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night to watch the Bronx Bombers throw away a five-run lead en route to losing the World Series.

Employing Will Smith is the new market inefficiency in MLB.

There are two Will Smiths currently plying their trade in the bigs and in an incredible piece of coincidence, one of them has been on each of the last five World Series winners.

It’s been a good five years to be named Will Smith in MLB 😅 pic.twitter.com/YMNnJWmvb6

— ESPN (@espn) October 31, 2024

Will Smith, the Los Angeles Dodgers catcher, earned his second ring on Wednesday night as the Dodgers erased a five-run deficit and beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 of the 2024 Fall Classic. The 29-year-old was also with the Dodgers when they won it all in 2020.

Will Smith, the veteran relief pitcher, won three straight titles with three different teams. He was on the Atlanta Braves in 2021, Houston Astros in 2022 and Texas Rangers in 2023.

Unfortunately for Will Smith, the one who plays for the Dodgers, the burden of extending this streak to six years in 2025 might fall solely on his shoulders.

Will Smith, the reliever, had a 6.53 ERA and a 5.27 FIP in 45 appearances with the Kansas City Royals. The southpaw is due to be a free agent and his market might be pretty limited thanks to his performance and age (35).

A savvy team might sign him anyway because a 50 percent chance at winning the World Series is pretty good odds.